Former Education Minister and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement, Oby Ezekwesili, has faulted the calls by renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi and some northern leaders that the Nigerian government should give a blanket amnesty to bandits and other criminal elements.
In the past few days, Sheikh Gumi, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed and his Zamfara counterpart, Babagana Zulum, have been clamouring for amnesty for bandits and criminal herdsmen who have been kidnapping Nigerians and students from their schools.
Gumi has been in the forefront of these demands and has, on more than one occasion, visited the heavily armed bandits in their hideouts and have been telling government to negotiate with them instead of trying to force them to lay down their weapons.
On Monday, while appearing on a Channels Television programme, ‘Politics Today’, Gumi said the bandits are misunderstood as they are only engaging in an ethnic battle.
“What people consider as banditry is actually an ethnic war by nomadic Fulanis who feel that the existence of their ethnic group is being threatened by other tribes such as Yorubas, Igbos, Hausas and others.
“One can, in fact, address them as militants. Their mission is not to kill. They want money having lost their sources of livelihood to cow rustlers. Where there are killings, they are mostly ethnic revenge because one or some of their kinsmen had been killed by people of other ethnic groups.”
However, Ezekwesili is not in support of the likes of Gumi, Mohammed and Zulum, whom she describes as insensitive and beating the drums of war.
Taking to her verified Twitter handle @obyezeks on Tuesday, Ezekwesili wrote:
“Something is noxiously off around here.
“What is with all this ratcheting up of choruses asking traumatized citizens to “show love and sing Kumbaya” for rebranded terrorists now called ‘bandits’ by their sympathizers?
“Please stop insulting our sensibilities. Please stop it!”
In another tweet, she wrote”
I wonder what country all these fellows that are already beating the drums of 2023 Presidential race are planning to govern?
“Our currently wobbly Nigeria? I have an advice for all of you.
“Better use that energy to work toward a National Conversation on Nigeria’s Future.”
